Watery Ties
by FantasticNic
Summary: A group of Fairy Tail wizards have been hired to safely deliver the princess of Fiore to a naval transport, The battle causes an injury for a mage that brings back something no one thought could be returned.
1. Chapter 1

A group of Fairy Tail wizards have been hired to safely deliver the princess of Fiore to a naval transport, The battle causes an injury for a mage that brings back something no one thought could be returned.

Gray and Natsu stood back to back, sweating and tired, trying to hold back the group of wizards attempting to intercept the princess of Fiore. There were at least three dozen strong mages taking on the guildmates. Steam rose from the ice and fire touching and impeded ground visibility to the point that the others in the party could not be seen from where the duo stood.

Gajeel and Juvia used their unspoken bond to read each other's movements and anticipate their next dual attack on the enemies. Juvia was quick to use her water lock on a large mage with the ability to turn others to stone and Gajeel blasted the man's partner with a striking blow from his iron fist.

Wendy and Carla kept a watch from overhead to ensure that the path they intended on sending the second team on was indeed clear of enemies, and were prepared to give the signal for the next leg of the mission whenever there was a clear shot.

Levy and Lucy hung back by the tree line trying to keep Princess Hisui out of the direct line of fire while the others attempt to clear a path to her naval transport. Lucy had summoned Sagittarius to pick off approaching enemies with his bow as levy dropped script as quickly as she could summon it.

Laxus, and the Thunder God Tribe grabbed up the princess and quickly boarded the ship as Freed set up runes to protect their departure to sea. As the Princess escaped for her journey with the rest of her hired protection the squad on the beach put as much space between the departing ship and the adversaries on the beach as possible.

The group of attempted kidnappers began to disperse and shot their last spells and attacks toward the fairy tail mages as they made their way toward their own waiting transport. A large sweaty brut shot a fireball toward Levy which immediately caused Gajeel to spring toward her and knock her out of harm's way, during his heroic rescue of the solid script mage a foe sent a frenzy of wooden stakes from his magic circle into all directions.

A low gasp was missed by all but the three dragon slayers. Juvia staggered back a few steps into the lapping tide and Gajeel peeked up over Levy's head to see the water mage had been pierced while in transition to her water form, her upper body solid and bleeding from her chest while her legs turned liquid sinking into the water she fell backward. Wendy and Carla swooped down to heal her but could no longer locate Juvia in the sea beyond the wisps of blood in the waves.

"Carla, what do I do?!" Wendy screamed with tears flowing down her cheeks, "I don't know where she is, how can I heal her if I can't find her?" Wendy then began to send her magic out in wide bursts, hoping to hit the area containing juvia's water body, but through the tears she could barely breathe.

Gray noticed the commotion and raced to Wendy's side and tried to understand what had the girl so upset, Gajeel had waded into the water and began calling for Juvia, "Damnit Rain Woman, pull yourself together, you gotta be strong and do this," he hit his knees, "I'm sorry I left you vulnerable, I got distracted. Don't be letting the current carry you away, pull yourself together now!"

Gray paled and gulped, Juvia was out there in her water form being pulled away by the sea. "She's hurt isn't she?" he asked Wendy and received a small nod as an answer as the dragon slayer continued to attempt to heal the mage she couldn't seem to find. Gray walked past Gajeel into water that nearly reached his guild stamp, he began to talk to Juvia and hope she could hear him. "Juvia, please, listen to me and come back, I need you to try your best to be solid long enough for Wendy to get your strength up." As he pleaded with Juvia his fears became evident to everyone around them as the water dropped in temperature and small patches of ice formed near where he stood. "I can't lose you Juvia, not again, we can't keep doing this. I need you, everyone else I loved has died and you can't do that to me." He paused and whispered " _to us_." He had a flash in his mind of the night they finally got together, after Lucy received her award and Juvia began stripping off garments with a few drinks in her system. He remembered how his face heated when he saw her bare flesh exposed, dragging her out by her arm to a quiet corner to scold her. He stared down at her resting on her knees in her skirt and corset in front of him, his eyes drifting over her pale skin to see a scar. _That scar_. The scar that nearly took her from Earthland. He remembered stumbling over the words he spoke to her, all at once confessing his true feelings and claiming her as his. Most of all he recalled the look in her eyes when his words registered in her brain, the color in her cheeks and then the feel of her arms around his neck and lips crashing together at last. NO. He chilled the entire beach with his resolve as he shouted for Juvia. "Juvia! Come back to me, we have waited too long for you to go like this. We have a future! You aren't leaving me now so get back here!"

A consciousness in the water heard muffled voices. "Pull yourself together and come back to me, I love you." _Love. Yes, I know love. I can feel a form around me, I just need to pull these particles together and make it work. I want to get back to those who love me. I need to_. A blast of magic hit the consciousness spinning it throughout the particles, arms and legs tangled and intertwined _. A Body! See I am doing it! Oh, the water is making me strong, this body can move…and stand…but what's this? I should bring this too…._

As the water grew colder a form began to appear, still obviously water a transparent body pushed against the icy water and managed to stand. The form appeared to be carrying something, but Wendy wasted no time using her magic at full force toward the approaching figure. Legs became opaque, but were without boots or shoes, when thighs gained pigment it was clear that there was no clothing, and what shocked the group most of all was that the figure was not Juvia, but carried an unconscious Juvia in it's arms. A torso and naked breasts caused the group to blush, but as much as they wanted to look away to give privacy the shock of the situation kept all eyes transfixed as shoulders and a neck gained the appearance of pale skin. Finally after what seemed like an eternity a face and head of dark head came into view and Gray swiftly grabbed Juvia from the woman's arms and held her close with his eyes never straying from those of the person who just delivered Juvia to him. UR.


	2. Chapter 2

My files did not upload to the right stories and of course I didn't double check at the time, sorry.

It was dusk but the bright lighting of the infirmary disguised the late hour to all gathered inside. Two beds sat in a room, each surrounded by a curtain for privacy, and each contained a female patient. First was Juvia, Gray by her side clutching her hand as if his life depended on touching her every moment until she woke. Second, a familiar face to Gray, Ur was now clothed and sat up looking around the room but had not spoken. Porlyusica and Master Makarov talked quietly across the room while Levy sat near them at a small desk pouring over tomes attempting to help. Ur sat in the bed gazing at Gray and Juvia, her brain was foggy, she did not know what happened or how long she had been floating in the ocean without a solid body to cling to and now we was confused on how she had been brought to be inside this form.

Gray looked over to see Ur's eyes on him, he drew the curtain with a quick jerk, he didn't want that impostor looking at him or Juvia. Gray was immediately skeptical of the woman who had his master's face, she had been gone so long that he believed wholeheartedly that this was an impostor. As happy as he was that this person brought Juvia back out of the sea to him, he did not want to trust her, he had spent his whole life trying to let go of the people he lost and did not know how to deal with one of them coming back or being impersonated.

Juvia made a soft sound in the back of her throat and her eyelid fluttered but remained closed. Gray leaned over and placed soft kisses on the hand he held tightly in his own. Why did the two of them keep getting themselves into mortal danger? He wanted her to open her eyes and look at him again, give him a clingy hug and never let go. Since they had gotten together there was a much more understanding aspect to their relationship, they were fairly subtle in public, the holding of hands, small kisses goodbye before missions. At home and away from prying eyes there was another level to their physical expression, from the moment they walked in the door Gray would seem to orbit Juvia, always within a few steps of her until they settled for the night. Shortly after they began officially dating he moved her into his place, finding himself wanting more time with her and missing the months they had spent together just the two of them when Fairy Tail disbanded.

Since moving in they had formed a new routine, after long days of missions and being at the guild Juvia would make a meal that always seemed to be above and beyond what they could even get at a restaurant, they would sit across from each other at their small table and share bits of their day, but they normally knew what the other had done before those interactions. When they sat to enjoy tea and read after dinner he would tug her gently into his lap or shift to the floor by her legs but they would always be in contact. The touch seemed to soothe him, he always joked that her energy kept his demon slaying magic at bay and under control, she was definitely a balancing force in his life.

A noise, almost a rattling emanated from Juvia, a sputter of water and a coughing fit ensued. She opened her eyes with a look of terror on her face and Gray attempted to calm her by smoothing her hair back from her face and talking quietly to her. "Juv, I am here, you're okay, just breathe and let me worry about everything else." Her eyes met his and her face softened and relaxed a bit as her coughs slowed and were finally punctuated with a long clear deep breath. Once the sound of normal rhythmic breathing fell into place Gray lowered his lips onto Juvia's and ran his fingers through her hair. He hadn't realized there was a tension around his heart until it released and he was rewarded with the return of the kisses and a soft hand caressing his neck.

Gajeel burst through the door and gave his playful face of faux disgust at the pair, just thankful that Juvia was awake enough to engage in such activities with her boyfriend. He still had a ball of guilt in the pit of his stomach from allowing the attack to hit Juvia, they were paired together and his focus on his own girlfriend left Juvia alone on the flank and vulnerable to the attack that pierced her. If Gajeel was honest with himself he knew that Levy would have deflected the attack just fine without him and that he should have stayed in position, but ever since he and Levy had their first child he was easily drawn to focus on her and protect her at every turn. Normally the couples attempted to not send everyone on missions together because it could leave them weak to attacks if they did not stick to plans, but with this being such an important mission they had opted to break that rule and use all the forces they could gather at the time, and thus it ended in near disaster because of his failure.

Levy looked up noticed Gajeel and walked over to him, "How is he?" She asked, mind clearly on their son.

"He's great, Bisca said he'd been trying to walk the entire time we were gone and it's probably going to happen any time now, so be prepared." He answered, knowing that with the current predicament they were likely going to miss their son's first steps but that was a sacrifice in the life of a mage. He saw her eyes squint a bit and the sadness filter across her face for a brief moment before she smiled and nodded. They heard a book snap shut and footsteps and turned to see what was going on.

Porlyusica and Makarov moved toward the beds and then after another quick assessment of Ur began to lay out their explanation of the events. The old woman spoke first, "I have never seen something quite like this in all my days, but there is a story of a similar occurrence some time ago." She unfolded a tale for the group, "The story said that a mage lived that could turn to air, as Juvia can turn to water, and with this ability to change between solid state and elemental form their magic could create the new body around them during transformation. In this story the mage formed a body around his own self and accidentally captured the soul of a recently departed enemy and was driven mad by both of them being inside one body."

Makarov joined in, "Using this as a theory with the information Levy uncovered in her research we are thinking that in Juvia's attempt to recover her solid state body her magic sensed Ur's soul and a body was created for her as well." He paused and rubbed his head, "Juvia's magic is unusual and rare, so this is just our guess, but we do know when Ur's ice shell melted she was left in a water form in her own way. She seems to be in perfect health and alert, and as far as we can tell there is no reason to doubt her identity."

Juvia sat with Gray's grip on her hand tightened to the point of her fingertips turning purple and she finally spoke, "I want to talk to Mavis." Juvia thought if nothing else Mavis may be able to sense some sort of intention from this woman.

Makarov chucked as Mavis appeared in the room to all but Ur, who could not see her as she was not a guild member, "I am surprised you were not here earlier First Master, you do tend to like to be involved."

Juvia began to speak to Mavis and asked her if she sensed any negativity or ill will, and if she knew of anything like this happening before. Ur stared at the girl speaking to no one, just chatting away with the air around them and then thought to herself that her student must have a poor mentally unstable girlfriend and wondered what in the world to do now. Juvia seemed to be content with whatever was said by her imaginary friend and all nodded in unison and turned to Ur.

She saw beads of sweat on Gray's brow and heard the struggle of his gulp as he gently spoke. "Ur?" He finally said, "Is that really you?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Finally posting from my computer again, mobile is not my friend when using hospital wifi. Working on an original story at the moment so my attention is divided, I tend to just write on whatever story is pulling my attention at the moment. Sorry for mix up on chapters last time and shout out to Star0Dragon0Slayer and the guest that let me know it was the wrong one.**

Ur sat watching the old man and woman explaining the situation, magic body, so that is what happened she thought to herself.

"Ur, Is that really you?" The young man asked while still clutching the blunette's hand.

Ur stared at him, feeling her head tilt as she looked harder and harder. Those dark eyes, black hair, so familiar but could this grown man really be her Gray? The young boy she taught was hard and cold, straight to business and always with a stoic look on his face and no time for what he deemed unnecessary emotion. The man who sat before her was at least twenty, his love for the beautiful young girl before him was apparent and his shouts for her in the sea were heartbreaking. Had that small boy grown into this man capable of having real love in his life after so much loss? "Gray?" her voice cracked at it's first use.

Gray's eyes closed for a few seconds, he held back tears that threatened to drop down his face if he couldn't focus. "Tell me something only Ur would know. Please, I need you to do this to confirm, and then I will call Lyon and Ultear."

"You found Ultear?" Ur saw no reason to attempt to keep her tears concealed and let them freely flow. "and Lyon is still in your life? Tell me did you grow up together after I cast…" but her words were left hanging when she saw the steely gaze Gray sent her way, that was a look she could remember well, he wanted his proof. "The day we found you in the rubble, you were so small and trying to be strong, but the one thing that you could not ignore was the broken chain on the necklace you had. The one thing you brought with you. You insisted you get a new one as soon as possible. I know this is a moment you will remember because your female companion here is wearing that necklace right now."

Juvia's free hand raised to the cross dandling around her neck and Gray nodded. This story about the necklace was true, he treasured this one item more than all of his other possessions, he left it with Juvia when he abandoned their home to infiltrate Avatar and she had tried to return it to him with no avail. It was in that moment that he finally broke, Juvia was safe and Ur was somehow returned to finish out her life as if the iced shell was never cast, he sobbed and laid his head in his free hand, still unwilling to let go of Juvia's. Ur stood and took the few steps between the beds slowly and hugged onto Gray's back. A loud sob escaped before Gray managed to say, "Master, please contact Lyon and Ultear." Makarov nodded and left the room.

Juvia was transfixed by the sight before her, Ur continued hugging Gray while he cried, the entire thing linked to her by the hand she was unsure if she should reclaim. The impossible had happened and now she was finally starting to let the thoughts infiltrate her brain, would any of this change her life with Gray? It had been just the two of them together, the orphans, they understood each other and lived a life she never thought she would achieve and now his master resurfaces because of her.

Porlyusica gave the patients an all clear as she left to return to her hut. Gray wiped his eyes and looked at Ur, "Do you want to stay with us? We have two bedrooms." He offered as Gajeel and Levy were headed out the door, causing Gajeel to pivot on the spot and growl.

"Thought you two weren't sharing a bed yet, Ice Princess." He snapped with protection for the girl he claimed as a sister.

Gray rolled his eyes and muttered, "No one actually believed that but you, we're adults and we lived together for six months before without your concern, never saw hide nor hair of you back then." The smug look left on his face and Juvia's bright red cheeks spoke volumes. "Butt out and let us talk."

Levy gave an apologetic look as she tugged the cursing dragon slayer out the door to go get their son. "I don't want to miss our son's first steps because of you fighting with Gray about things that **you** do with me."

The three were left alone and Ur said with a smile, "I guess I'd like to stay with you then." She looked uneasy, "But can I ask why you all could speak to someone imaginary? Mavis was it?"

Gray chuckled. "Mavis was the first master of Fairy Tail, she can only be seen by guild members, she said nothing concerning but we could always fill you in if you would like."

Ur looked relieved but still confused. "So you can see her too?"

"Yes, and she may be one of the strangest and most interesting people I have ever encountered." He stated, "If you decide to become a member of Fairy Tail you would like her, but of course I bet Lyon will try to take you to Lamia Scale."

"So you aren't in the same guild then?" her lips pursed and disappointment flashed across her face.

"No, I left to search for the stronger mages and guilds you mentioned when I was a kid. I have been here almost as long as you have been…gone." He stated, unsure of how to finish his sentence. "I did not encounter Lyon again until we were on Galuna island and I had to take him down for trying to release Deliora." Seeing the fear in her eyes Gray immediately clarified. "He is not a bad guy, Deliora was no resurrected, and he and I _are friends_." The last words sounded strange in his mouth, was that the right term? Lyon did cause him a lot of grief, but they weren't by any means enemies.

Juvia seemed flustered at the conversation and Ur looked puzzled. Gray decided to explain, "But there have definitely been moments where we didn't see eye to eye, he has tried for years to date Juvia before we got together, and that does make things a bit difficult sometimes. I would not put it past him to try again at some point." Ur was shocked, those boys must still have their competitive streaks, but this poor girl was stuck in the middle of the whole thing.

Juvia spoke up, "It's so late Gray, can we all please head home and get some sleep before Lyon and Ultear make it to Magnolia?" She stood tugging Gray to his feet behind her and nestling herself under his arm. "Come on Ur, we've got a little bit of a walk ahead of us."


	4. Chapter 4

Ur woke up early in Gray and Juvia's small home on the edge of town, she wandered into the bright kitchen and saw the undeniable presence of a woman's touch. Juvia had decorated the entire home with photographs and paintings that somehow perfectly melded into a warm homey vibe. Ur walked into the living room and up to the mantle to take a closer look at the photographs displayed in the mismatched frames.

First was a photo of Juvia beaming at the camera at the beach with a stone faced Gray just behind her scowling with his arm draped around her waist, Ur could easily see young Gray in this expression and smiled to herself. The second image was the couple using their magic in a parade, they appeared to be happy but likely a few years younger. The third photo was of Gray and Juvia ice skating with another pair, a pink haired girl and a white haired man, she wondered to herself if this could possibly be Leon, although he and gray wee the same age this person was clearly much older. Ur had picked up the frame to inspect the image when Juvia strolled in the room yawning in an oversized shirt and leggings. "Good morning Ur." She said through her yawns.

"Juvia, who is with you in this photo?" she asked turning the frame to show it.

"Well that is Sherria and Leon." She said, "During our visit to Crocus this last winter."

"Oh, hmm." Ur was confused, "Leon looks much older than you and Gray, but they're not even a year apart in age."

Juvia peered over, not sure how to begin. "Well they were only about a year apart, yes, but now it's more like 7 almost 8." Seeing Ur's expression furrow, she tried to come up with the easiest explanation. "There was a period of seven years that Gray, myself, and a group of others from the guild were locked away, magically, and when we returned we had not aged. He is now 20 but should be 27, Like Leon."

Ur took in what she had just heard, it was such a strange story but yet Juvia spoke like it was nothing. What had they been through for this to seem so normal? Gray sauntered in the room in nothing but a pair of black underwear, Juvia simply said "pants, Gray," and he grabbed a pair stashed in a cupboard under a table. Ur stifled a laugh, apparently the stripping thing stuck with him through adulthood. She had never meant it to extend past training but she recalled the young boy losing pieces of clothing everywhere they had travelled.

"Morning Juv," he said with a kiss to her cheek. "Good morning, Ur. I hope you slept well, we really haven't used that room in quite a while." He looked nervous, like her answer could make or break his day.

"It was fine, I am still getting used to the whole 'having a body thing' anyway." She gave a bright smile, "your home is lovely, I was just admiring your photos with Juvia."

"I think we should get ready and head to the guild and have breakfast there, I am not sure what time Lyon and Ultear will make it in town but it's best to hang out there until they do." Gray stated. "Juv, Do you think you have something for Ur to wear?"

Ur remembered she had nothing. No clothes, no home, no clue what to do with herself. First thing was first, she had to meet up with her daughter and Lyon, she never thought she would get to see them again so this was so anxiety inducing, what if they didn't believe she was herself like Gray did at first?

After the trio got ready and arrived at the Fairy Tail guild hall, Ur was taken aback by the energy resonating from the place. There were at least two dozen mages inside and things were chaotic to say the least. As they walked through the door Natsu screamed Gray's name and sent a table flying his direction with flames trailing behind it. Juvia quickly jumped in front, stripped down to her corset and sent a water slicer back at Natsu. "Not today Natsu, take it elsewhere, "she shouted.

Gajeel glanced over and saw Juvia in her corset and skirt and shouted, "Damnit stripper, I hate you for that habit rubbing off on her." None of this seemed to phase Juvia as she calmly grabbed her top from Gray and dressed herself as they sat down at the bar.

Ur was cycling through emotions; fear, shock, amusement, Gray had a full life here at Fairy Tail. She blushed a bit thinking that it was her stripping that passed along to Juvia, but did not feel like bringing that to the large and angry Gajeel's attention. A cheerful barmaid arrived to where they sat and interrupted her thoughts. "Good Morning, I'm Mirajane. Can I get you something?"

Gray quickly ordered for the trio as Juvia greeted Mira and rushed off to see her honorary nephew and his progress with walking. "Come to Aunt Juvi," she gushed to the little boy as she got closer. He stood but plopped back on his bottom and she scooped him up to snuggle his cheeks, showering him in kisses before handing him off to his mom. "Wow Levi, he almost took a step that time, he'll be running next time I see him."

Levy and Juvia then sunk into deep baby conversation and Gray brought his attention back to Ur who watched next to him. "She is really lovely, you must love her a great deal." Ur was happy to see his smile as he watched her engage with her friends and their son, "Thinking of having your own family then?" Gray sputtered a bit before Mira arrived with their order.

"You gotta give Gray a bit of warning before dropping any 'future' talk on him," Mira said, "We don't want to scare him off, it took Juvia too long to snag him up in the first place." She pushed Gray on the shoulder playfully as she rounded the bar to wipe glasses.

"Oh, so it wasn't love at first sight then?' Ur questioned, watching Gray's gaze shift to the counter and his cheeks get the slightest pink tinge.

Mira smiled broadly, "It was for Juvia, but he still had defeat her in battle, break her curse, and some time passed before she eventually joined the guild." She counted on her fingers, "I think it was about a month shy of two years later, not counting their seven year time skip, before they actually got together."

Ur stammered and said "Defeat in battle?!"

Mira was on a roll, "Well Juvia was a member of a dark guild that kidnapped Lucy, see the blonde over there? And well, she was under a curse of sorts to be in constant rain. After she and Gray battled and he defeated her she said it was the first time she ever saw the clear sky, then he saved her life, a few more near death experiences and yada yada yada here we are!"

Gray ruffled his hand through his hair, "It was definitely more complicated than 'yada yada yada' but yeah, that's the gist of it."

"You are with a former enemy? Romantically?" Ur was still in shock. "But you are such a cute couple."

"Why thank you," Juvia said from behind Ur, no one noticed she had approached the bar again. "I am very thankful to Fairy Tail for allowing me and Gajeel to join after our dark pasts. We have both found happiness here with former enemies, it's the beauty of Fairy Tail for sure."

Mira took the opportunity to pop back in with, "Yes! Gajeel over there had that beautiful baby boy with Levy, who he once left unconscious, chained to a tree."

Ur almost fainted at this one, she had no idea how these former enemies were such close allies and even lovers now. Gray caught her as she fell back on her stool, "It sounds strange, but we really do care for them, they weren't bad people as much as they were misguided. Kind of like what I told you about Lyon."

"What about me?" Lyon called from the entrance, Meredy and Ultear standing beside him, "What's with the emergency summons anyway?" As Gray turned to face him Ur became visible to the new arrivals and shock overtook Lyon and Ultear leaving Meredy standing confused two steps behind them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Note: Sorry, I have been AWOL for a while, working on my manuscript and getting that ready to publish, but I am back. I guess it took me actually being immersed back into fandom stuff to get motivated again. If I ran into any of you at Wizard World in St. Louis feel free to shoot me a message, I didn't remember the usernames after the day was done and would like to add you to social media to keep in touch. You guys were great inspiration and even getting to meet Jad Saxton (Carla's english voice actor!) made me want to get back to finishing my stories.**

Lyon and Ultear saw Gray turn and step to the side revealing a dark haired woman that they both immediately recognized. Ultear took a sharp inhale of breath and the exhale was staggered sounding as if she were holding back tears, Meredy stepped forward and grabbed her hand with concern. Lyon suddenly felt like a small boy again, seeing Ur made the memories echo in his brain, wanting to surpass her, waking to find she had cast iced shell.

Ur stood from her stool and grasped Lyon and Ultear, pulling them both into a firm hug, the three began to release all of the emotions they held in this moment. "I never thought I would see you again," she murmured to the duo. Ur looked up to see Meredy awkwardly watching the scene, and asked expectantly "Well, aren't you going to introduce me to this young lady?"

Ultear pulled from the hug and gently waved Meredy forward, "I guess you could say that Meredy is my daughter in a way, I guess our family has a thing for taking in those who need a family," she says with a smile toward Meredy.

A chirp of a laugh escapes Ur, "I come back and suddenly my students are grown, my daughter is a woman and there is a foster grandchild to meet?" her laughs gets stronger, "this I did _**not**_ expect. A big happy family!" Ur was met with awkward glances, nervous head scratches, and uncomfortable smiles. "Don't tell me you all don't get along," she sounded exasperated.

"well…" Meredy drew the word out as long as she could, "We get along NOW, but there were some rough patches so to speak. I may have battled Juvia and performed a sensory link between Gray, her and myself." Ur's eyes popped open wide. "Oh, but we're fine now." Juvia nodded in agreement.

Lyon chimed in, "and Gray and I have been allies since he and I battled on Galuna Island, and Juvia is always and will always be my ally" he looked at Juvia with a blush on his cheeks and she looked away and Gray smacked the back of Lyon's head.

"Knock it off already," Gray spat, "that crap is getting real old."

Ultear smiled meekly and shifted her eyes nervously as she admitted her past altercations with the crew as well, "I _**may**_ have fought Gray and tried to kill his girlfriend, but that's all behind us now, we have all since left our dark guilds and moved on to do good."

Ur sat staring at the young adults before her, "I feel that none of this would have happened if I would have been here, you all needed guidance, and Ultear I needed to find you and bring you home."

"NO." Gray stated. "If you had been here I would have never joined Fairy Tail, never battled Phantom Lord and met Juvia, and Ultear would not have found Meredy." His eyes trailed over everyone slowly, "We did what we did. We forgave, we learned, and now you're here again, take it for what it is."

Mira's cheery voice pierced the group's tense atmosphere, "Gray, I hate to interrupt but I need to ask you about something time sensitive. I have you and Juvia blocked off the request board starting tomorrow through next week for your trip, are you still doing that?"

It had completely escaped his memory, "Yes, I think we should still do that," he said looking at Juvia as she nodded. "It has been set up for a while now." He turned to Ur, "Juvia and I have plans to go to the northern continent, we visit my parent's graves and check to make sure there's no new trouble up that way, bandits tend to take up shelter in the ruins and antagonize the local villages. You are come than welcome to come along," he paused, "All of you can. I guess."

He pulled Ur aside, "You don't really have to come, but I had made these plans months ago and I am going to ask Juvia to marry me on this trip. It seems strange but my dad really liked her and I wanted him to be there in the only way he can when I do it." He shook his head, "She and I had a very hard moment there, it's just a spot I want to turn into something positive, but I do want you to come if you are willing."

Ur smiled and hugged Gray, "Of course I will come, but I have no idea what you mean by your father liking Juvia, was she from your town?"

"Ugh," Gray grimaced. "So my dad resurfaced a while back being controlled by a necromancer, but Juvia defeated him and released my dad's soul." Gray tried his best to wave it off but Ur had a look of terror with an undertone of disbelief.

"If she defeated the necromancer that controlled him," she paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, "that means she essentially killed your father, Gray, and yet you just threw that in as if she beat you to the last slice of cake. How is it that you are okay with that?"

"She didn't kill him. He was already dead and should have stayed that way, she freed him and doing that gave her so much guilt she thought she didn't deserve to be with me, she is a good person despite everything in her life and I love her." Gray said, his voice barely over a whisper.

"You two have been through a lot of bizarre stuff," Ur noticed. "I am proud of your maturity in handling all of this."

'I am not without fault by any means, she has loved be through thick and thin, even when it appeared that I had betrayed the guild she stood by me." He glanced at Juvia, "If anyone doesn't deserve someone, it's me that doesn't deserve her."

"Okay then," Ur said loudly, "I think we should all get ready for this impromptu family vacation, I am not quite ready to leave your sides, we have a lot of catching up to do." She rubbed her hands together nervously before giving a nervous laugh, "I guess I need to figure out how I am going to get things to bring on the trip, I still have no idea how to pick up a life from so long ago, I don't even have clothes."

Meredy playfully bumped her shoulder into Juvia's and gave her a knowing look, "It seems there is a shopping trip upon us." Upon hearing these words Juvia's face beamed the most eager smile Ur had seen, and Ultear stepped forward with her lips pressed together giving a sigh.

"Looks like I will be the voice of reason and reminder of self control here," Ultear joked, "These two would likely spend every jewel they have to rebuild your wardrobe. Why don't we have some girl time at the boutique and let these guys make the preparations for the trip, let's meet back at Gray and Juvia's and leave from there."

With a quick nod and a chaste kiss Gray and Juvia parted ways to take care of their tasks, the girls quickly exited the guild with Lyon walking them out but Gray bumped into a waiting Gajeel. "Did I hear you right? You are planning to propse?" he asked with an unreadable expression.

Gray did his best to cover the wave of nervousness he felt with a layer of confidence as he spoke, "Yes, I think it's about time we took that step." His breath caught slightly in his lungs as he waited for the iron dragon slayer's response.

Gajeel's eyes narrowed as he bent slightly to lean forward and stare directly into Gray's eyes. "It's about time stripper." With that, Gajeel turned and walked back to his table with Levy and his son and Gray was able to breathe again.


	6. Chapter 6

**I have messed with this chapter for over a week now and I am not sure I am going to get everything across that I want to in a manner I am happy with so it's time to move on to the next one.**

A question circled in Juvia's mind as the group began their journey to the northern continent, she gazed around the train car at her travel companions, she took a moment to form the words and then let them fall from her lips, "I must ask, does Ur possess any magic ability? Does magic reside with the body or the spirit?" The group became so silent that one could have heard a pin drop and Juvia found herself on the receiving end of an array of looks from shocked to horrified and she then regretted asking the question aloud.

Ur softened the expression of surprise she wore and then softly answered, "That's actually a very interesting question, I hadn't thought to try any magic yet." Her hands slowly raised from where they rested in her lap and poised to attempt to cast, "Let's start small. Ice make dagger."

All eyes were glued to Ur's hands as a small spray of frost formed a dagger-like shape, but one would be hard pressed to pass it off as ice, it was more of a loosely packed snow. Glances were exchanged by Gray and Lyon as they tried to speak without words, both knowing this was not the intended result.

"Hm," Ur murmured, "it's not what I wanted, but it's something. I guess I am going to need more practice."

Juvia leaned forward and inspected the dagger, not wanting to touch it for fear of destroying it but admiring the gentle crystalline formation with its intricate patterns of frozen threads. It was a peculiar yet beautiful creation, she found herself thinking that it would be something she would create if she had the ability to freeze her water herself, the thought stuck and replayed again and again until she raised her eyes to meet Ur's, "Can you try again? Please?"

Ur gave a small shrug and raised her hands once more, taking a moment to think of what she would like to create, then announcing, "Ice make chalice." Again small threads of frost formed, wrapping and combining until a fragile chalice formed on the tiny table. Ur's lips pressed together into a thin line of scrutiny as she wondered why her ice was so feeble.

Juvia spoke slowly and carefully, trying her best to put her theory into words that would best explain it to Ur, "I wonder, can you change your wording and the thought behind it? Instead of trying to make ice and picturing ice maybe try to use the idea of frost or snow? It seems almost like instead of ice things are coming across a bit …softer?"

"That is an interesting theory," Ur responded, "let's give it a try. Frost make dagger." Particles froze in the air and combined to create another dagger, only this time it seemed sturdier and the thin fibers were tightly packed and had a true sharpness to the edges, the dagger fell to the table with a clattering sound. Ur gave a satisfied smile, "I don't know why my magic is different, maybe because of your water," she shrugged, "but at least I can make something."

Gray spoke up, "I think that once we get to our destination we should do a training session, nothing too intense, but get your defenses up in case we run into trouble."

Lyon nodded, "I could use a bit of practice anyway, things have been so slow at Lamia Scale that I haven't gotten a good spar in for weeks."

Meredy shifted in her seat, she had been looking at Ur for quite a while and had not said anything since their departure. "So I am a bit curious, I hope I do not overstep by asking this but what was it like to be free floating without a body? I had heard stories from Ultear and the others about you and how it all happened, but to be honest we all thought you were _**gone**_."

A tense silence spread over the car before Ur managed to find any words to fit what she wanted to say. "I understand the curiosity, I am not entirely capable of answering this myself and I lived it. I was aware that I was someone, I had thoughts, but it seemed that none of them were particularly deep or meaningful. It wasn't until the incident with Juvia occurred that I was able to regain any memory of myself or what had occurred, I was suddenly being pulled together and felt like I actually existed again, I found the presence that turned out to be Juvia and brought her out of the water with me, but I can't even explain what motivated me to do that."

She looked around at the faces of the others, "I barely recognized Gray when I saw him, and once I knew who he was I still had trouble believing it was him, he was a child last time I saw him and so much different. I would never have imagined that Gray, Lyon, or Ultear would grow up to be the individuals you have become, but at the same time I don't know what I would have pictured for each of you."

She continued, "now it seems like my thoughts are clearer, I feel stronger and more like what I remember being before Iced Shell was cast, but I am not sure if this is going to continue or if I am now the best I will be. There are still gaps in memory and I am even having flashes of moments I know I was not anything more than a consciousness for. I think there was a moment I spoke to Gray, but only years ago and not anything more than what you would consider a whisper, but once I say that out loud I feel like it is impossible."

Lyon gave a chuckle, "I don't think any of us are in a place to negate the possibility of anything while we are sitting here with you." He pulled her hand into his own, "I am so pleased to see you again, you are the reason we were started on this path, and I can tell you now it's not a bad life by any means."

Juvia noticed that Ur looked quite exhausted, considering her brief time back and how much had already occurred she could only imagine the level that tiredness impacted her, so she took this opportunity to pull out the lunches she had prepared. "I brought some food for the trip," she said with a smile as she passed the bentos out, "let's enjoy a meal together and save some of the serious conversations for later, we have all the time in the world now."

Gray was thankful for her distraction, he had some things he needed to figure out before reaching their destination and the atmosphere had grown tense and distracting. He began to dig into his food and hoped to himself that Juvia was right, he didn't want to worry that Ur would be gone again any time soon.


End file.
